Dispenser for continuous toweling



Nov. 2, 1965 I R. K051 3,215,481

DISPENSER FOR CONTINUOUS TOWELING Filed Jan. 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Poberf Kob/ I N VEN TOR.

Attorney Nov. 2, 1965 R. KOBI 3,215,481

DISPENSER FOR CONTINUOUS TOWELING Filed Jan. 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Roberf Kobi INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,215,481 DISPENSER FOR CONTINUOUS TOWELING Robert Kobi, Zollikon, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Belmag Zurich, Beleuchtungsund Metallindustrie A.G., Zurich, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Jan. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 335,111 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept. 6, 1963, 11,029/ 63 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-38) This invention relates to a dispenser for continuous toweling, having a measuring shaft to release a certain towel length, a locking device for the measuring shaft and a time switch for the locking device, together with a rewinding roller for the used length of towel and a roller for driving the rewinding roller, and also a clamping and a dispensing roller between which latter the clean towel strip is fed and of which the one, the dispensing roller, is provided with a rough surface.

In dispensers of the type known heretofore, the dispensing roller is arranged on the measuring shaft which latter is held stationary after every revolution by a locking device, thus releasing a predetermined length of toweling for dispensation. The rough surface of the dispensing roller prevents the release of a further length of toweling between the dispensing roller and the guide roller once the measuring shaft is locked. Since, in known apparatus, the measuring shaft is rigidly attached to the dispensing roller, the latter always comes to rest at the same point so that it is unavoidably rubbed smooth after a relatively short time. As a result, even when the measuring shaft is held stationary by the locking mechanism, the towel can still be pulled out between the dispensing and guide rollers.

In another known towel dispenser, the measuring shaft is built into the take-up drive roller, the latter being driven by a chain drive from the dispensing roller. Fixed to the dispensing roller is a five-toothed ratchet wheel which is in operative engagement with one arm of a ratchet in the form of a two-armed lever. The second arm of this ratchet projects into the path of movement of a cam which is arranged on the measuring shaft. During every rotation of the measuring shaft the cam strikes against the second arm of the ratchet which thus turns on its .axis so that the first arm drops into the ratchet wheel on the dispensing roller. The dispensing roller is therefore locked directly by the ratchet, whilst the measuring shaft is stopped only indirectly by means of the chain drive. Since there are five teeth on the ratchet wheel, the dispensing roller is not always stopped at the same point upon each revolution of the measuring shaft, but rather in five different positions and always in the same sequence, so that the useful life of the dispensing roller friction surface, is increased five times. Nevertheless, between these five different points at which the rough surface of the dispensing roller is subject to wear, there still remain relatively large areas which are hardly used and which have lost practically none of their roughness and gripping power when the dispensing roller friction surface has been rubbed smooth at the five stopping points and thus rendered useless.

The object of the present invention is to create a device which renders it possible to use not just a few points but practically the whole friction surface of the dispensing roller for locking the toweling web, thereby increasing the service life of this surface many times According to the invention this is achieved by having the locking device operate directly on the measuring shaft, which is arranged independently of the dispensing roller to stop the measuring shaft after each revolution, the measuring shaft transmitting its rotary movement and also the locking effect to the dispensing roller over a gear 3,215,481 Ce Patented Nov. 2, 1965 train comprising two main wheels, whereby the gear train has a transmission ratio slightly greater or less than 1:|1.

Inasmuch as there is no locking wheel on the dispensing roller in the design according to the invention, it is possible to dimension the two main wheels in respect of diameter or number of teeth, without regard to the relatively low number of teeth on the locking wheel, so that they differ very little from each other; for instance, by only a single tooth in the case of gear and sprocket wheels. With such a transmission ratio practically every point of the rough surface on the dispensing roller comes within the range of the locking point, thus assuring uniform wear of the rough coating on the dispensing roller.

The accompanying drawing shows, purely by way of example, one form of embodiment incorporating the invention.

In said annexed drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the towel dispenser;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a detail drawing of parts shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

The towel dispenser illustrated comprises a casing formed by a rear wall 1 to which are attached two sides walls 2, 3. Mounted at the lower end of the casing is a tray 5 which is swivella-ble about an axis pin 4 and can be tilted forwards for receiving the roll 6' of clean towel strip. A hood 8, for the front, top and both sides of the casing is swivellably mounted on axis pins 7 of the side walls by means of bearing plates 9 and can be tilted forwards. Fixed on the outside of both side walls 2, 3 are stops 10 adapted to support parts 11' of the inward projecting edge 11 of hood 8 in its open position. Parts 7, 9, 1t) and 11' are members of symmetrically disposed pairs on or near the side walls 2, 3 with only one part of each pair being shown in the drawing. A locking plate 12 with stop 13 for the hood 8 is fixed at the top of the rear wall. Hood 8 is held in the closed position by a locking bar 14 with a tongue 15 which engages the locking plate 12, is carried in bearings on the sidewalls of hood 8 and provided with a lock 16 to turn the locking bar by means of a key; the locking plate, locking bar, etc. are conventional in the art. The shafts 29a and 21a of a dispensing roller 20 and a rewind drive roller 21 respectively are carried in bearing plates 17, 18, 19 attached to the outside of the side walls 2, 3. The shaft 21a carrying the rewind drive roller 21 serves also as the measuring shaft. The two rollers 26 and 21 are interconnected through two main wheels 22 and 23 and an intermediate wheel 24 so as to rotate in the same direction. The gearwheels 22, 23, 24 are mounted between the two bearing plates 17, 18 disposed on one side of the casing. The main wheels 22, 23 are rigidly mounted on the shafts 20a, 21a of the rollers 20, and 21 respectively, while wheel 24 meshes with both main wheels 22, 23 and acts as a reversing wheel. The two main Wheels 22, 23 have different tooth numbers, Wheel 22 of the dispensing roller 20 having 37 teeth and wheel 23 of the rewind drive roller 21 and measuring shaft 21a having 38 teeth. Dispensing roller 20 is provided with a rough coating, e.g. glass paper, sand paper, emery cloth or the like. Dispensing roller 20 rests against a rubber-covered clamping roller 25 which is mounted with the ends of its spindle 25a engaging guides 26 fixed to the side walls 2, 3 of the casing and can be lifted out from above. The rewound roll 6" of used towel strip rests against the rewind drive roller 21. The spindle 27a of roller 27 taking up the used towel strip 6" is guided in substantially vertical slots 28 in the sidewalls 2, 3. The clean towel strip 6 from the roll 6 runs upwards and is pressed against the dispensing roller 20 by the clamping roller 25 over which it is passed, thence downwards through a slot formed between the lower edge 29 of the hood and the front edge 30 of the tray 5 and, forming a hanging loop, it is then passed upwards between the rear wall 1 of the casing and the tray 5, to be wound on roll 6". Since the two rollers and 21 are in operative engagement through the gears 22, 23, 24, and their circumferences are in the same ratio as the pitchcircle diameters of wheels 22, 23 respectively, the length of towel strip wound on roll 6" is the same as the length of towel strip wound off the roll 6'.

The locking device, which locks the measuring shaft 21a and then releases it for one revolution after a predetermined time, operates in conjunction with a vacuum time switch, which is well known with respect to its action but differs from time swtiches known heretofore in that its design is simple. The mechanism includes a locking disk 31 and a cam 32 which rotate in different planes, are coupled together, and are fixed to one end of the measuring shaft 21a. Locking disk 31 has a locking cam 31a which cooperates with a pawl 33. The latter is arranged for rocking vabout a pin 34 on hearing plate 19 and is in the form of a three-armed lever. One arm 33a cooperates with the locking cam 31a, and a sliding arm 33b with cam 32. The third arm 33c is movably connected to a rod 35 of a vacuum time switch mechanism and, to this end, engages a slot in rod 35. Rod 35 is mounted for axial displacement in bearings 37 of bearing plate 19, and by action of a compression spring 38, is pushed into that end position in which the pawl 33 is held in its release position, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The rod 35 at one end carries an elastic vacuum cup 39 which cooperates with an opposite vacuum cup 40. The latter is seated on a screwed rod 41 mounted on bearing plate 42, being axially displaceable and fixable by nuts 43. Numeral 44 is the rotary knob of an air valve pintle (not shown) for regulating the operating interval of the time switch, i.e., the period during which the measuring shaft 21a is locked. A tension spring 45, attached to the sliding arm 33b of pawl 33, acts against the compression spring 33, but is considerably weaker than the latter, 46 and 47 are two roller guard plates.

When a length of towel strip 6 is pulled out, the dispensing roller 20 drives the measuring shaft 21a through wheels 22, 23, 24 and therewith the locking disk 31 with cam 32. The latter acts on the sliding arm 33b, to rock the pawl 33 in the direction of the arrow a in FIG. 1, thus tensioning the rod 35 of the vacuum time switch. In this position the vacuum cups 39, 40 are pressed against each other, thus holding the rod 35 under tension for a predetermined period. During this tensioning of rod 35, the measuring shaft 21a has completed one revolution which ends when .cam 31a strikes against arm 33a of pawl 33. Simultaneously, the sliding arm 33b has left the hump of cam 32. In this position of cam 32', the pawl 33 could rock back in the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 3. This return motion, however, is delayed by the vacuum time switch, hence the rod 35, subject to the action of compressing spring 38, can only move back slowly in the direction of the arrow C (FIG. 3). The duration of this motion is the time required by spring 38 to pull the vacuum cups 39, 4t apart as the simultaneous intake of air breaks the vacuum. Upon separation of the vacuum cups, pawl 33 rocks back to the position shown in FIG. 1, in which the locking device 31, 33 and therewith the measuring shaft 21a, is released. The next length of towel strip can now be pulled out since the arm 33:: of pawl 33 allows cam 31a to pass. Every time the towel dispenser is operated, a certain length of towel is released for use. On pulling out this clean length of towel the measuring shaft 21a, controlled by cam 31:: and pawl arm 33a, rotates through exactly one revolution. Since gear 23 on measuring shaft 21a has 38 teeth, and gear 22 on dispensing roller 20 has only 37 teeth, the dispensing roller 20 will be stopped in thirty-seven different positions for thirty-seven revolutions of the measuring shaft 21a.

Dispensing roller 20 cooperative with clamping roller 25 will consequently be subject to practically uniform wear of its rough surface, thus assuring optimum service life of the dispensing roller.

When the toweling is used up, roll 6" can easily be removed upon swivelling the hood 8 downward through an angle of approximately A fresh towel roll can be placed in the tray 5 which can be tilted forward for this purpose. The end of the fresh roll is then passed over the clamping roller 25 which, for this purpose, can be lifted out and then replaced behind the guides 26. The end of the roll is now passed outwards through the slot formed by the edges 29, 30 and, while forming a loop hanging below the casing, is inserted back into the casing between tray 5 and rear wall 1, whereupon one or two turns of the towel strip are wound on roller, 27. Upon replacing roller 27, the towel dispenser is again ready for use, and the hood can be raised again and locked by means of the device 14, 15, 16.

Instead of the two main gears 22, 23 it is possible to use sprocket wheels, friction wheels, or belt pulleys. It is, however, important that the difference in the diameters of these two main wheels should be as small as possible.

What I claim is:

1. A towel dispenser comprising:

a housing formed with an outlet slot for the discharge of a continuous web of toweling forming a loop below said housing, and an inlet slot for re-entry of the web after use;

supply means in said housing spaced from said outlet slot for feeding the web thereto;

takeup means in said housing for receiving portions of the web re-entering through said inlet slot and including a takeup-drive roller for winding said portions of said web into a roll;

a guide roll journaled in said housing between said supply means and said outlet slot and disposed along one side of said web for engagement therewith;

a dispensing roller having a generally cylindrical fricti on surface engageable with said web along the other side thereof for clamping said web against guide roll and advancing the web through said outlet slot;

a first gear coaxial with and rotatably entraining said dispensing roller While having n teeth, and a second gear coaxial with and rotatably entraining said drive roller while having in teeth, 12 being integers differing by one;

a single transmission gear in mesh with both of said gears for rotating them in the same sense;

a shaft coaxially rotatable with one of said rollers;

timer means in said housing actuatable for temporarily blocking rotation of said rollers and dispensing of said web for a predetermined period;

pawl means pivotally mounted in said housing and engageable with said timer means for actuating same upon swinging movement of said pawl means, there- 'by initiating operation of said timer means;

unirotational cam means mounted on said shaft and cooperating with said pawl means for swinging said pawl means to actuate said timer means upon rotation of said rollers in response to withdrawal of said web from said housing between said dispensing roller and said guide roll; and

stop means on said shaft engageable by said pawl means after each rotation of said cam means for pre venting further rotation of said shaft and said rollers until the elapse of said period, said pawl means hav- 1ng a horizontal pivot disposed above said cam means and a first upwardly extending arm engaging said timer means for actuating same, and a pair of downwardly extending arms respectively engageable by said cam means and said stop means, said cam means having an eccentric camming surface engageable with one of said downwardly extending arms for swinging said pole means to operate said timer means and an abutment for said one of said arms preventing angular displacement of said pole means prior to rotation of said cam means, said pole means being provided with a spring holding said one of said arms against said abutment, said stop means including a formation angularly spaced about the axis of said shaft and adapted to clear the other of said downwardly extending arms upon the commencement of rotation of said cam means but to engage it upon termination of a single rotation to prevent further rotation of said cam means and said rollers, said cam means holding said other of said arms in the path of said formation during said predetermined period.

2. A towel dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said timer means has a horizontally disposed rod engageable by said upwardly extending arm, suction cup means on said rod, and valve means for metering the flow of air to said suction cup means, said takeup means including a towel drum journaled in said housing and generally upwardly displaceable therein, said takeup-drive roller osculating the towel rolled up upon said drum.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 5/58 Australia. 6/59 Great Britain. 10/61 Switzerland.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOWEL DISPENSER COMPRISING: A HOUSING FORMED WITN AN OUTLET SLOT FOR THE DISCHARGE OF A CONTINUOUS WEB OF TOWELING FORMING A LOOP BELOW SAID HOUSING, AND AN INLET SLOT FOR RE-ENTRY OF THE WEB AFTER USE; SUPPLY MEANS IN SAID HOUSING SPACED FROM SAID OUTLET SLOT FOR FEEDING THE WEB THERETO; TAKEUP MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR RECEIVING PORTIONS OF THE WEB RE-ENTERING THROUGH SAID INLET SLOT AND INCLUDING A TAKEUP-DRIVE ROLLER FOR WINDING SAID PORTIONS OF SAID WEB INTO A ROLL; A GUIDE ROLL JOURNALED IN SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SAID SUPPLY MEANS AND SAID OUTLET SLOT AND DISPOSED ALONG ONE SIDE OF SAID WEB FOR ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH; A DISPENSING ROLLER HAVING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL FRICTION SURFACE ENGAGEBLE WITH SAID WEB ALONG THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF FOR CLAMPING SAID WEB AGAINST GUIDE ROLL AND ADVANCING THE WEB THROUGH SAID OUTLET SLOT; A FIRST GEAR COAXIAL WITH AND ROTATABLY ENTRAINING SAID DISPENSING ROLLER WHILE HAVING N TEETH, AND A SECOND GEAR COAXIAL WITH AND ROTATABLY ENTRAINING SAID DRIVE ROLLER WHILE HAVING M TEETH, N BEING INTEGERS DIFFERING BY ONE; A SINGLE TRANSMISSION GEAR IN MESH WITH BOTH OF SAID GEARS FOR ROTATING THEM IN THE SAME SENSE; A SHAFT COAXIALLY ROTATABLE WITH ONE OF SAID ROLLERS; TIMER MEANS IN SAID HOUSING ACTUATABLE FOR TEMPORARILY BLOCKING ROTATION OF SAID ROLLERS AND DISPENSING OF SAID WEB FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD; PAWL MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AN ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID TIMER MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAME UPON SWINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID PAWL MEAN, THEREBY INITIATING OPERATION OF SAID TIMER MEANS; UNIROTATIONAL CAM MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND COOPERATING WITH SAID PAWL MEANS FOR SWINGING SAID PAWL MEN TO ACTUATE SAID TIMER MEAN UPON ROTATION OF SAID ROLLERS IN RESPONSE TO WITHDRAWAL OF SAID 